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Sammy wants to be a musician, as was his grandfather, but while the band he is in is self-destructing, Sammy is too distracted by his grandfather's decline and confused feelings about his best friend to fix it--and his mother stays too busy to help.

Opinion

From Library Staff

Sammy Bojar is in a band with a lame name and a scary, talentless lead singer. As he struggles to gain control of his own songwriting career, he is helped by his neurotic jazz pianist grandfather and his old best friend/new girlfriend.

From the critics

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Sammy, Skovron’s guitar hero, is both compassionate and humble. He tries to balance his personal ambitions with time to be there for both his family and his friends. Sammy’s explanation of the songwriting process offers insight into the technique without overdramatizing the artistic process. Throughout the book, we see a full progression that goes into the song he hopes will win the contest, “Plastic Baby.” Many real life rock and jazz artists are mentioned too.

A good story about a teenager who loves guitar. If you are a teenager, or play ANY instrument, you will love this book. Sadly, some parts can be a bit over sappy, taking away from the overall humorous tone. 8.5/10 Flaws: Can be sappy. Pros: Author knows how to write a good story, has accurate advice for any musician, but the advice is worked into the story.